Crank balanced unit



March 10, 1942. E. w. PATTERSON CRANK BALANCED UNIT Filed NOV. 27 1940 qmoRNEY Federated Mar. 10, 1942 I CRANK BALANCED UNIT 12 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to balanced units as used in the oil well industry for pumping wells, and more particularly to certain improvements whereby the shaftless gear unit of my application filed September 3, 1940, under Serial Number 355,159 may be utilized in the crank balancing of a pumping unit.

In my above mentioned application, I disclosed a gear unit having a shaftless low speed member with the purpose in view of promoting various economical and operating advantages over previous gear units as utilized in this field, and as therein disclosed, the gear-has been proven to be readily and advantageously usable with air balanced pumping units and weight balanced pumping units of the type known as beam balanced units or in other words'those wherein the balancing weights are mounted on or attached to the walking beam.

There is, however, another type of weight balanced pumping unit known as a crank balanced unit and it is my present general aim and purpose to provide a means adapting my improved shaftless gear unit to this type of balanced pumping unit in a practical manner which will not only permit of the practical, advantageous use of the shaitless gear unit in the crank balancing of pumping unit, but will also provide certain practical advantages in the use of the balancing cranks themselves.

In my above mentioned application I disclose a gear unit in which the low speed member is in the form of a gear ring wholly supported by a peripheral hearing and without a shaft. The gear ring has radially inwardly projecting crank pin supports, a crank pin through one of which supports is directly attachable to the lower bearings of the pitmans commonly employed as a means of transmitting relatively slow reciprocating movements to the walking beam.

According to my present improvements the crank pin supports of the above gear ring, extending within its peripheral hearing, are elimihated and balancing cranks are attached to the gear ring in a manner which adapt the same to swing at opposite sides of the gear unit in an arc of movement the same as at present, though in much more closely spaced relation than cranks attached to the outstanding ends of the low speed shaft of present units which are necessarily of substantially greater width than the gear unit of this invention.

In attaching the crank or crank arms to the low speed gear ring, it is an object of the present improvement to do so in a manner which will Edgar Wt Patterson, Long Beach, Calif. Application November 27, 194.0, Serial $10,387,348

permit of their ready disconnection from the without removing the cranks whenbe necessary to rotate the gear ring without rotating the cranks and their weights. With the above general statements and objects of the invention in mind, it is believed it will be better understood and more thoroughly the following description in detail of the mode thus far considered best for carrying the invention into'practical effect, and by reference to the accompanying drawing, illustrating the same and forming a part of this gear ring, ever it may appreciated from specification.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a View in the practical application of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view in end elevation showing only the gear unit and the pitman connected balancing cranks.

tudinal sectional view of Figure 2, and

Figure 1.

Referring now described and claimed case ill, the lower portion of an oil reservoir ll.

member in the including an outer centrally of, and inwardly beyond,

edges of the tions in bearing toothed portion ring extensions id and the outer strengthens and braces and unobstructed since The rib ll. provides for the direct weight balanced cranks in a manner we so presently see.

side elevation illustrating Figure 3 is an enlarged detail vertical longithrough the crank connected gear unit taken substantially on line 3-3 to these figures, there is plainly shown a gear unit or reduction gear of the type in my above mentioned application and consisting of a support or gear which forms therein This case has an annular portion l2 within which is disposed at low speed form of a shaftless gear ring it,

disposed toothed periphery M which faces the inner surface of the annulus l2, and side flanges or extensions it which provide outer bearing faces at the sides the toothed periphery speed shaft I8 with its with the gear ring I! at pinion in engagement one side thereof. the

shaft l8 being driven, forexample, by a belt connection to its pulley I! at one side of the case and closely adjacent thereto so as not to interfere with the swing of the crank arms.

Crank arms are provided by the invention of a type suitably supporting, on their outer laterally enlarged ends. a plurality oi weights indicated at 2|. These weights are shown in the present instance as held by bolts 22 in a manner permitting of ready addition to or removal from their number.

The crank arms ings 23 in line for the adjustable reception of the inner or lower bearing pins or supports 24 of the two pitmans 25 so that the throw of the cranks may be readily adjusted to suit the needs 01' the walking beam 26 in establishing the stroke length of a pumping unit in connection with which the crank balance is used, and to which the upper ends of the pitmans are connected at 21. Such an apparatus commonly involves a Sampson post 28 which supports the beam fulcrum 29 as in Figure 1, and is so well known in the oil well pumping art that the end of the beam from which connections or reins depend to the polish rod of a pump has not been shown. Each crank arm 20 is furthermore shown as rigidly united at its inner end portion to the outer end of a laterally extending bracket member 30, shown in rectangular, tubular form and at the opposite end of which is anannular clamping ring 3| standing in a plane parallel to, and substantially laterally offset from, the body plane of the crank arm itself. The clamping ring 3| is preferably of an outside diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the gear ring i3, to seat around,'and flatwise against, one side face of the internal rib H of said ring as plainlyshown in Figure 4. Moreover the clamping ring 3| of each crank arm preferably has a laterally projecting annular flange 32 projecting laterally away from the crank arm and of a width approximately one-half of the width of the gear ring rib i1.

Thus, as shown in Figures 3 and 4 in particular, the outer edge surfaces'oi' the two flanges 32 of opposing crank arms will come together within the gear ring rib i1 and, when connected by an annular series of clamping bolts 33 through the edgewise abutting flanges 32, the two crank arms 20 will be locked together through the gear ring in relatively rotatable relation to the latter. To rigidly connect the joined clamping rings 3|, the latter and the gear ring rib I! have openings therethrough in circumferentially equi-distantly spaced relation, which may be brought into registry for receiving connecting bolts 34 to thus rigidly connect the crank arms 20 directly in driving relation with the gear ring l3. This arrangement makes assembly, since the two crank arms may be initially connected to one another through the ring gear and in a manner to readily bring the parts into position for the reception of the connecting bolts 34.

By reason of the provision of the crank arms 20 with laterally ofl'set gear ring connecting portions, the-crank arms are properly positioned in laterally offset relation t the gear ring ii, to enable the said arms to properly clear the gear case l0 and its support, in their are of movement, and also to clear the driving pulley IS, the

20 also have series of open-.

sear unit construction making it possible .toeliminate the usual axial siderable degree, the cranks.

ber 01 the gear, exact relative positioning of the two crank arms is precisely assured.

With the clamping rings ll connected by bolts speed member.

2. In combination, a speed reduction unit including a shaftless low spee-i member in the form of a ring gear, and a support means to the gear ring.

for ready easy 4. In a crank balance, the combination of a reducing gear unit including a peripherally supported shaftless low speed gear ring, weighted crank arms at opposite sides of said gear ring, connecting means extending through said gear ring and rigidly joining the crank arms to each other, and means adjustably joining said connecting means with, and entirely around, said gear ring inwardly of the latter.

5. In a crank balance, reducing gear. unit including a peripherally supently of the gear 6. In a crank other bolts rigidly connecting said portions to each other independently of the first mentioned bolts.

7. In a crank balance, a reducing gear unit including a shaftlcss low speed gear ring having a toothed rim portion and an annular rib within and around said rim portion, a support therefor having a bearing for the rim portion of said gear ring, crank arms at opposite sides of said support having lateral projections rigidly in connection with and adjustable around the rib of the gear ring, and weights on said crank arms.

8. In a crank balance, a reducing gear unit including a shaftless low speed gear ring having a toothed rim portion and an annular rib within and around said rim portion, a support therefor having a bearing for the rim portion of said gear ring, weighted crank arms having offset connecting portions secured directly to and adjustably around said rib of the gear ring, and means 'connecting said offset portions of the cranks toeach other inwardly of the rib and independently of their connections to the rib.

9. In a pump actuator, a reducing gear unit including a shaftless low speed gear ring, a support having a bearing for the peripheral portion of said gear ring and open at opposite sides of the gear ring, crank arms at opposite sides of the gear ring, and means rigidly securing said crank arms in direct connection with the gear ring inwardly of its peripheral bearing and through the open sides of the support.

10. In a pump actuator, a reducing gear including a shaftless, peripherally supported'low speed, gear ring, open atitslcenter, and crank arms having angular extensions rigidly bolted to, and circumferentially adjustable within, said. gear ring at opposite sides of the latter.

11. In a pump actuator, a reducing gear including a shaftless, peripherally supported low speedgear ring, open at its center, and crank arms having angular extensions bolted to said gear ring at opposite sides thereof, said extensions beingbolted .to one another through the open center-of the gear ring independently of said ringgear. v

12. In a crank balance, the combination of a reducing gear unit including a shaitless low speed gear ring, a support therefor including bearing means in engagement with the periphery of said gear ring, weighted crank arms at opposite sides of said gear ring having laterally extending members projecting into the gear ring at its opposite sides, means normally, rigidly connecting said members to the gear ring, and means normally, rigidly connecting said members to each other independently of said first named connecting means.

EDGAR W. PATTERSON. 

